Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

One of the best movies of the year! Incredible from the beginning to the end.

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

After six years slumming it in the so-called "quota quickies" (cheap films made to satisfy a domestic produce law), this was Michael Powell's first personal and independent production. It is the beginning of his love affair with the Scottish isles, his partnership with a number of distinguished actors and crew members, and demonstrates the rhythmic style that would become his trademark.The first thing that stands out about Edge of the World is its documentary feel. The story itself is a fairly brief tale, but Powell bulks out the runtime by showing off the natural beauty and detailing the vanishing ways of life. It's not something Powell would do a lot in his later career, but it shows his reverence for the subject matter, and also an unbridled state of his purely visual form of storytelling. This is as far as I know the only one of his films for which Powell took sole screen writing credit. Film as a purely visual narrative was his aesthetic, and you could probably fit all the dialogue on about half a dozen pages of script. While the imagery is consistently strong, Powell would generally make better films when his personality was balanced out by the powerful screenplays of Emeric Pressburger.However, thanks to the lack of dialogue we really get a taste of Powell's sensitivity to rhythm. The steady flow of images that set each scene is reminiscent of early DeMille, which occasionally give way to snappier, almost Hitchcockian editing patterns for the tenser moments. Of course an honourable mention must go to editor Derek Twist for collating all the images for maximum effect. Two scenes are directed with incredible tenderness by Powell. First is the funeral, shot through a mist like effect which enhances the sombre tone. The second is the moment where John Laurie finds out his daughter is pregnant. Tension is built up only to be released with a surprisingly humane response from Laurie. There are still one or two touches of clumsiness, where the angling of shots makes it a bit confusing who is where – for example when Eric Berry and Belle Chrystall watch Niall MacGinnis wandering dangerously near the cliff edge. This could be down to inexperience, or it could simply be due to the on-the-fly nature of the production. After all, how do you view your rushes when your stuck on a little island? Whatever the case, such problems would not recur in Powell's work.The only real sour note in Edge of the World is, unfortunately, the acting. While Finlay Currie gives his usual steadiness to the proceedings, and of course John Laurie is of course good whenever you need a slightly exaggerated, wild-eyed Scot (although this is in fact one of his deepest performances), the general standard is poor. No-one else really stands out, and surprisingly the young Niall MacGinnis is absolutely appalling. With his inability to master the accent and, it would appear, the general concept of acting, he here looks as if he just walked off the set of Brigadoon.Overall though this is a gripping and haunting work. It may occasionally be a little rough around the edges, and is often a bit too showy, but you can see in this little film that this is the man who would one day turn opera into cinematic spectacle. This is essential viewing for all fans of Michael Powell.

I first saw this film in 2002 to view locations on the Isle of Foula for a book I was working on, I have to admit to having never heard of the movie prior to then,so thanks to Martin Scorsese & Thelma Schoonmaker (Powell's widow) for the fantastic restoration of this 1937 classic.The film was based on the evacuation of St.Kilda in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland, and having been refused permission to film on St.Kilda for fear of disturbing the birdlife,Mr Powell sought out another island. Foula was chosen for its resemblance to St.kilda and he took the whole film unit there for 5 months between June and October 1936.To make such a film under such conditions on an remote Island such as Foula, West of Shetland Isles at that time must have taken great courage and determination. Continuous battles with the elements,the midges,the equipment & supply failures, must have all took their toll, but Mr Powell and his intrepid band of actors & film crew all gave 100% to produce this masterpiece of cinematography.Dangerous sequences on the cliffs were all done by the actors themselves not stuntmen, and the cameramen also had their work cut out to get in close for dramatic shots, (No power zoom lens in those days) Some great pan shots and lapse dissolves are used and classic music accompaniment makes this an unforgettable movie.Whilst on the Isle one of the Key actors John Laurie broke his collarbone, it was thought the production would have to find a replacement, but stubborn Laurie returned to the set in a little over a month and continued with filming.Dedication to the end.If you don't see another movie all year, see the 'EDGE OF THE WORLD' and wonder how some of the shots were done, then listen to Daniel Day Lewis' & Thelma Schoonmaker's comments on the DVD to hear how they did made it.

This was the directors first film, and his budget was limited. Some of his "actors" were local inhabitants, and the sound is not 21st standards. Nonetheless, the film is a near historical record of the problems faced by a small group of people living on an isolated island that could no longer cope with the attraction of modern life which began to draw away its young people. Besides electricity and indoor plumbing, the 20th century offered work that attracted the young with work and modern medicine that enabled more of their children a chance to survive.This movie shows the anguish that splits the opinion of those who realize their ancient way of life is no longer viable.Although the island and people depicted in the movie were fictional, there was a real Shetland Island that did choose to move to the mainland. This movie was made in 1937, and a vivid picture of the transition of European people transitioning from the 19th century into the modern world.

Just seen this film at the National Film Institute in London and was surprised by the number of people that had come to see a 1930s black and white film based on a remote Scottish island. I went because I have always been a fan of Powell & Pressburger but had never seen anything from this era (also, my wife & daughter had gone to see the Phantom of the Opera stage musical and I needed something to do!).The film was a very pleasant surprise. Whilst it shared many aspects of 1930s cinema (some stilted acting, dodgy accents, melodrama and a relatively corny plot) the overall feel was of a story well told, an accurate picture of an island community (**SPOILER?**) whose way of life is about to end forever and, most surprisingly, no sentimentalism - those of a very timid nature may even be slightly upset by some of the dialogue. Before the film an even older silent documentary about life on St Kilda was shown and this highlighted how accurate the feel of The Edge of the World was.This film is never going to get anyone's heart pounding with excitement, but there are moments of real tension and the story is very strong. Despite the comments above this film had a strong cast, although John Laurie, in a supporting role, stole much of the stars' thunder and Finlay Currie provided his usual strong and benign presence.Unless you have an aversion to films that do not rely totally on big action and special effects, I would recommend this film, although getting to see it may be a problem.This was my first visit to the NFI and on the strength of this film, I will be going back.